In an effort to maintain balance on BP, I upgraded BB to author and granted Kabir editorial privileges in recognition of his arguments for evenhandedness.
However, the overnight removal of comments and the rearranging of posts was unacceptable. I had granted Kabir discretion to remove personal abuse and, in borderline cases, to consult with me so that we could make balanced decisions together. That was the understanding.
Hard deletion of comments and unilateral alteration of posts and drafts were in no way part of that agreement.
Readers and contributors should know that I am committed to pushing BP forward while also maintaining fairness. I am aware of my own biases and have tried to build space for others accordingly. But editorial authority cannot operate without trust and agreed boundaries.
In light of this breach, I have temporarily removed Kabir’s editorial and authorship rights. BB retains authorship status.
We will reset and move forward from there.
The internal email, I have just sent to the Authors & co.
Mid-February 2026 Update – Editorial Reset
Editors: GauravL |omar_ali
Hi all,
I want to briefly address what happened regarding Kabir’s temporary editorial appointment and clarify where we stand.
In an effort to maintain balance and improve evenhandedness on BP, I granted Kabir temporary editorial privileges. The intention was limited discretion: removal of clear personal abuse and consultation with me in borderline cases. That boundary was exceeded.
Posts and comments were deleted and rearranged without agreement. That was not part of the arrangement. Editorial latitude does not include unilateral restructuring or hard deletion beyond agreed parameters. As a result, I have removed Kabir’s editorial and authorship rights.
I’ll also say this candidly: that moderation decisions were not purely about removing anti-Pakistan bias, but also about shaping visibility and prominence of his own writings in ways that were not discussed. That includes over-publishing or recycling material without adding new signal. Whether intentional or not, that direction is not aligned with where BP should go; we need original not crossposted material.
For clarity, our January traffic was approximately 46,000 visits. That level correlates strongly with volume of original posting and depth of comment engagement. High signal and intellectual seriousness remain the goal; but traffic does respond to cadence and participation. We are not, and will not become, a low-grade masala aggregator. But we also cannot ignore growth dynamics.
My aim has always been to push BP forward while keeping it intellectually serious. I know I have biases, and I actively try to build structural balance into the platform. That requires trust and clear boundaries.
This is simply a reset.
I don’t usually send these updates anymore because replies tends to be low, but clarity matters more than response volume.
Thanks.